Big bucks in governor’s race: Democratic PACS respond

Two “independent expenditure” groups flooding the airwaves with nasty, negative TV spots in the race for governor have now raised more than $16 million: They are waging an escalating political arms race not unlike buildups of arsenals by two neighboring countries that hate each other.

With disclosure on Monday of $1.25 million in new donations, the cash-rich Republican Governors Association has now plunked down more than $8.5 million to pay for its factually questionable attacks on Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jay Inslee.

The Democratic Governors Association and labor unions are not to be outdone.

A Democratic front group, Our Washington, saw its war chest swell from $6.7 million to $7.9 million in its latest reports to the state Public Disclosure Commission. It is spending big bucks on misleading ads attacking Republican gubernatorial nominee Rob McKenna.

The latest Our Washington haul includes $500,000 from the Democratic Governors Association (for a total of $3.7 million); $100,000 (to $300,000) from DimePAC, political arm of the Washington State Labor Council; $250,000 from AFSME, the public employees’ union; $250,000 from the Workers Voice PAC, $50,000 from the Service Employees International Union, and $25,000 (to $275,000) from Justice for All, the trial lawyers’ political arm.

Not a penny of this money is being spent to say a kind word about anybody.

An Our Washington TV advertisement is implying that McKenna was seeking to hike his own salary while opposing an increase in the state minimum wage, two actions that were unrelated and took place years apart.

The Republican Governors Association is claiming that Inslee would risk state pension money in start-up companies, a position he abandoned more than 15 months ago.

Combined war chests of the Republican Governors Association and Our Washington have now gone over the $15 million-plus raised and spent in 2008 by a Democratic front called Washington Progress, and a pro-Dino Rossi front fielded by the Building Industry Association of Washington.